1. Field of the Invention
The invention herein relates to the structure of heads (lavatories) on seagoing vessels, maritime harbor vessels and sea-positioned structures. More particularly it relates to a head concept which provides heads which are designed to be readily maintainable, have long service life, and be attractive and functional for a vessel's crew members who use them.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ocean going ships, such as Navy ships or commercial freighters, operate in environments which can cause rapid corrosion and deterioration of a ship's structure. Salt water and water vapor as well as high humidity rapidly attack steel structures such as decks, bulkheads and fittings. Over the years, navies and commercial shipping lines have used many commercial types of coatings in efforts to prevent ships'steel structures from corrosion in the salt atmosphere. Such coatings have, however, only been moderately satisfactory, in that they are often permeable to corrosive vapors, are easily worn away by foot traffic, collect and retain dirt or become stained, and are easily punctured or torn, thus exposing the underlying steel structure to the corrosion that the coating was intended to prevent. All of this leads to short service lives of heads, and usually quires that they be rehabilitated every 1-2 years and fully replaced every 4-5 years. This of course represents significant expense and head downtime for the ship owner or operator.
Current head designs and materials also require extensive daily maintenance. Even with diligent attention by cleaning personnel, dirt and grime become lodged in crevices, deck coating maintenance is difficult and time-consuming because of deck-mounted stanchions for commodes, basins, and partitions, and coatings resist cleaning by simple soap-and-water washes. Consequently an excessive amount of time is required for cleaning personnel to maintain heads in a clean and aesthetically acceptable manner. Not only does this tie up crew members in a duty which many consider to be unpleasant, but it also takes away time when such crew members could be working at other duties or obtaining training to improve other skills.
It would therefore be advantageous to have a head design and head materials which would permit heads to be maintained in a simple and relatively easy manner and to retain their cleanliness and attractiveness over a prolonged period with minimal maintenance, and which would substantially extend head service life such that refurbishment and replacement would not be needed for a significant number of years. Most importantly, in addition, such design and materials, especially coatings, must be such that underlying steel structures such as decks and bulkheads will be secured from contact with and corrosion by the corrosive atmosphere found at sea. Further, such head design and coatings should be applicable to a wide variety of seagoing or sea-positioned structures or vessels, including all kinds of seagoing vessels and maritime harbor vessels as well as sea-positioned structures such as oil well drilling rigs, offshore loading facilities, crewed shore-side or offshore light stations, and the like.